Every day it’s the same old same old. We wake up and we think about how we’re going to make our existence a little less carbon and a whole lot greener. Well some scientists have really give that one a good thought and here’s one of their solutions towards a greener Earth. They say…if we want to cut down on global warming then we need to do 2 things:
1. Praise Kangaroo fart
2. Transfer bacteria to guts.
Shocking…I know but at the same time you’ve got to admit that it’s quite an eye catcher of a solution don’t you think? And while I’m not too sure about the transferring bacteria bit, the Kangaroo wind passing seems very interesting. Let’s see why.
Kangaroo fart.
Jokes aside fart is flatulence and that’s just the unavoidable intestinal gas that we all have. Gas is a natural occurrence from the complex chemical reaction that takes place in our guts. A mix of bacteria and enzymes in the digestive system work to break down carbohydrates and proteins in the food; and flatulence is the by product of this process (enteric fermentation). Now although the composite of the gas may vary, methane is substantially what it’s made up of.
Methane is a greenhouse gas and molecule for molecule, it can trap 25 times more atmospheric heat than carbon dioxide – really bad news for global warming. I never realised that “18 percent of the world’s greenhouse-gas emissions as measured in carbon dioxide equivalent are attributable to livestock” alone!
But flatulence is a natural occurrence when you eat so obviously it’s a silly to suggest cutting down on food for livestock a solution to keeping the emission levels down. And here’s the brilliant bit where kangaroos come in.
A kangaroo’s fart is different from others because the bacteria in its guts does not produce methane, instead it produces acetate which helps with digestion.
And it is from this special effect, that scientists are working on a safe and effective method to cultivate those same bacteria into the guts of other livestock like cows and sheep. I’m fascinated by the facts about the kangaroo’s digestive system but I can’t help but think the whole transferring bacteria idea might not be a good thing – that’s like meddling with nature – an unknown territory.
